DustpeltSandstormFirestarSpottedleaf
by FireFox45
Summary: this is about Spottedleaf guiding Sandstorm toward Fireheart after her death and how Dustpelt is trying to stop Sandstorm from loving Fireheart


Sandpaw padded into camp after a patrol of ThunderClan cats. They had just fought with RiverClan near the gorge where she had nearly fallen to her death after a RiverClan tom named Whiteclaw. Sandpaw could still feel her heart pounding with fear as far below her, water swirled darkly.

With wary paws, Sandpaw flopped down beside Dustpaw and began licking her fur. There was a movement out of the corner of her eye and she looked up. Yellowfang was examining the wounds of a handsome ginger tom.

This tom wasn't just any ThunderClan cat. He was Fireheart, the warrior with a flame-colored coat and a kittypet past. Also, Fireheart was Sandpaw's rescuer. He had saved her from falling into the river at the gorge.

"Are you okay?" Dust paw asked, watching Sandpaw with sharp eyes.

"Yes" Sandpaw meowed as normally as she could, continuing to groom down her ruffled fur. "Just tired."

Dustpaw continued watching Sandpaw with a slightly glazed look. Sandpaw was the most beautiful she-cat in the clan and he felt his heart skip each time she got near. Together they had protested against kittypets coming into the clan and Dustpaw was overjoyed to have her as his friend. But now something seemed different. Dustpaw examined Sandpaw. There was defiantly a strange look in her eyes.

Fireheart padded over to them and eyed Sandpaw. "Are you okay Sandpaw?"

Sandpaw looked up at him and looked embarrassed. "Yes."

"Good because Whitestorm wants us to go on patrol together" Fireheart meowed, also looking uncomfortable around Sandpaw.

"Okay" Sandpaw meowed. "See you at dawn."

Fireheart padded away.

Suddenly Sandpaw felt her heart pounding wildly again but she didn't know why. There was an odd burning in her belly making her feel sick and yet it felt good.

Dustpaw was staring at Sandpaw in amazement. Every time Fireheart had come near them Sandpaw had snapped at him about his kittypet heritage. Now she looked very uncomfortable.

"What did he do?" Dustpaw asked.

"Nothing" Sandpaw snapped, her fur burning.

Dustpaw glared at her. "I know better then that Sandpaw! Tell me!"

Sandpaw leapt to her paws and vanished into the apprentice den. She paced the den, fighting herself on the inside. Everything felt as if it had been turned upside down. Her heart skipped as she thought of Fireheart and yet she had no reason why. Only a few days ago she had been making rude retorts about him behind his back.

"What's wrong with me?" Sandpaw muttered. "What did that tom do to me?"

When Sandpaw fell asleep a tortoiseshell she-cat appeared to her. It was Spottedleaf, the old ThunderClan medicine cat that had died fighting Clawface. Sandpaw knew she Spottedleaf had been a wonderful cat but had rarely gotten to know her.

"Don't worry" Spottedleaf meowed softly. "I felt the same way."

"Felt what?" Sandpaw asked desperately. "What's wrong with me Spottedleaf? I don't know what to do anymore!"

"He made me feel the same way" Spottedleaf meowed longingly. "I loved him so much but StarClan kept me away from him. If things had been different, maybe you wouldn't have to suffer like this."

"You…you loved?" Sandpaw meowed in surprise. "But medicine cats can't!"

"I'm not the first and I won't be the last" Spottedleaf meowed simply. "Fireheart did something to me that made me forget all about StarClan's laws. I knew it was wrong but it felt good. Don't hide it the way I did Sandpaw. I want him to feel again."

"What's wrong with Fireheart?" Sandpaw asked.

"He grieves" Spottedleaf meowed simply. "Fireheart has not yet been able to let me go. I love him very much and it hurts me to watch him suffer this way but I can't do anything other then comfort him in his sleep."

"Why do I love him?" Sandpaw asked, her voice shaking. "I hated him!"

"Because you didn't know him!" Spottedleaf growled, suddenly aggressive unlike she had been when she had been alive. "No one tried to know the real Fireheart. That's what stopped you Sandpaw. Put it aside! You have so much to be happy about. Fireheart is in front of you, you can be with him. Even if I was alive I would not have been able to."

Sandpaw stared at Spottedleaf.

Spottedleaf sighed. "Look."

A pool of water formed between them. Sandpaw approached it and looked down. The pool showed two cats, her and Fireheart, sitting at sunningrocks. Fireheart was looking worried and the older Sandpaw was saying something to him.

"What is this?"

"That is Firestar" Spottedleaf meowed, a gleam of pride in her eyes. "And that is you as Sandstorm, Firestar's love. This is the way it will be when the darkest hour falls on the forest. Firstar will lead you through it but only with the strength of his clan."

"Firestar?"

The image in the pool changed. It showed her laying in the ThunderClan nursery with two kits nestled at her side. Sandpaw looked closer. One was pale brown with small white paws. The other was a fiery ginger kit.

Sandpaw woke with a start. She was laying beside Dustpaw in the apprentice den, she was still Sandpaw.

Quickly Sandpaw leapt to her paws and padded into the clearing. Spottedleaf's scent was lingering and guided Sandpaw to the warrior den. She looked in.

She picked out Fireheart's sleeping form beside Greystripe. Fireheart was muttering something and twitching as if in pain. His fear scent filled Sandpaw's nose and she felt pity flowing from her.

_Is he dreaming of you Spottedleaf?_

Sandpaw left the den and sat near the gorse tunnel, curling her tail around her paws and looking up at Silverpelt. Finally she was able to accept it, she loved Fireheart.

Moons passed and Sandpaw became Sandstorm. Fireheart became deputy then became Firestar. Firestar led the clans against BloodClan and they won. Soon after Sandstorm, along with Ferncloud and Brightheart, went into the nursery and Sandstorm birthed two she-kits, Leafkit and Squirrelkit. Leafkit chose the path Spottedleaf had once walked and Sandstorm felt she would burst with pride at the thought of the old medicine cat walking beside Leafkit through her training.

After Yellowfang's death, Cinderpelt became the medicine cat and also Leafkit's mentor. Squirrelkit became Squirrelpaw and was mentored by Dustpelt, father of Ferncloud's kits. Greystripe became Firestar's deputy after the fight with BloodClan.

In all those moons Sandstorm's love for Firestar had only grown as she had grown closer to him. She had learned more about him and how hard he had fought against judgments made because of his blood and his parents being kittypets.

One night soon after Sandstorm had birthed her litter, Dustpelt came toward her. He licked her ear as he always did, in a friendly way.

"Can I talk to you in the ravine?" Dustpelt asked.

"Sure" Sandstorm meowed, getting to her paws. "But it can't take too long, my kits will get scared."

Dustpelt nodded and led her out of camp into the ravine. Sandstorm sat and curled her tail over her paws, waiting for her friend to speak. At first he looked nervous but then he began to speak.

"Sandstorm, we were friends since we were in the nursery" Dustpelt meowed. "I want to know what changed."

Sandstorm stared at him in surprise. "Well, I fell in love" Sandstorm meowed. "And so did you, with Ferncloud. Firestar stole my heart and I'm happy he did."

"But…what if I was in love before that?" Dustpelt asked. "Before Ferncloud."

"What do you mean?"

Dustpelt gazed at her with a strange gleam in his eyes. "I loved you Sandstorm, I always did. I never stopped loving you even after it was obvious you loved Firestar."

Sandstorm stared at him. "But what about Ferncloud?" I thought you loved her!"

"I do but it's not the same" Dustpelt meowed. "Just like you probably aren't the same love as what Firestar felt for Spottedleaf."

Sandstorm looked down. He knew Firestar's love for Spottedleaf had been different but that was okay with her. All that mattered was that Firestar loved her now and he loved her with all his heart. He had told her that so many times…

"Firestar loves me and I love him" Sandstorm meowed finally. "I never loved you Dustpelt, not that way. I thought of you as a brother, not as a mate. Firestar, he's different. Now that I have him I can't see myself living without him."

"But Sandstorm I need you" Dustpelt meowed desperately.

"You have Ferncloud!"

"But it's not the same" Dustpelt meowed firmly. "I was with you longer then Firestar."

"I told you" Sandstorm meowed with a growl creeping into her voice, "I love Firestar, not you Dustpelt."

"I can't stop thinking about you" Dustpelt meowed. "Don't tell me you never felt anything!"

"I need to go to my kits" Sandstorm meowed. "My kits and Firestar's kits."

Sandstorm stalked into camp and carried her kits from the nursery. She went to Firestar's den. The ginger tom blinked awake as she placed the kits beside him and curled up with him.

"What's wrong Sandstorm?" Firestar asked, licking her ears. She was shaking.

"I…I want to be with you" Sandstorm whispered, drinking in his scent hungrily. The scent of her love…

"Sandstorm, what's wrong?" Firestar asked, pressing his muzzle to her neck to comfort her. "I haven't seen you like this since after I became a leader."

"I…I just want to be near you" Sandstorm whispered. "Someone told me something impossible."

"It's over" Firestar whispered, nudging his kits closer to their mother. "It's alright."

"Firestar?"

"Yes?"

"You love me right?" Sandstorm asked, gazing deeply into his bright green eyes, searching for the comfort she had always known.

Firestar was slightly surprised. "Of course I do Sandstorm."

"What about Spottedleaf?"

"Spottedleaf was my first love" Firestar meowed. "I'll never forget her but the love was different. She was one of the dearest friends I've ever had but you're my mate and I love you, how many times must I say it?"

"I just needed to hear it" Sandstorm whispered, pressing close to him and listening to the steady heartbeat of her mate.

Outside the den, Dustpelt was listening. His heart sank. Firestar had always loved Sandstorm and always would.


End file.
